Officials meet with residents in aftermath of port fire

Explosions at Port Everglades last month sent Dayna MacDonald to the phone to dial 911, she told a specially convened meeting of neighborhood associations, port authorities and first responders last week.

MacDonald lives on Miami Road in the Harbordale neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale, across the street from the port.

"It was nighttime. My kids were with me. We heard the 'boom boom.' Folks were out on their lawns, wondering what happened." She called the Broward Sheriff's Office but got little information about what had happened or whether or not she should evacuate.

MacDonald's story circulated in the media and on angry blogs and e-mails, stirring up the area's dissatisfaction with the 2,190-acre port area. That's why deputy port director Glenn Wiltshire told the gathering he was taking the opportunity "to explain what had occurred and discuss what we can do going forward, to continue and improve the dialogue."

Detailed presentations by Wiltshire and representatives of fire and police groups convinced the handful of neighbors present that the flames that destroyed three big trucks were quickly contained and there was no danger. The explosions were, in fact, the sound of huge truck tires bursting from heat.

The problem was elsewhere. "The greatest danger was a lack of communication," said Donna Mergenhagen, who owns a bookstore in Harbordale. "It's been a problem for nearly a year.

"We feel that if we understood more, we wouldn't have this feeling that one day there will be a disaster that better communication could have avoided."

Marilyn Mammano, president of the Harbordale Civic Association added, "There should be somebody [McDonald] could have called and asked, 'What's going on?'"

"It would have been nice if the people who took [her] 911 call had said, 'We haven't been given any evacuation orders,'" said Ellen Kennedy, the port's manager of corporate and community relations.

Kelly Manning, vice president of the River Oaks Civic Association, said afterward that the meeting "was very good. I live two miles from the port, and lately I've been a little scared. But I think that now, these people will be doing something to help."

"It was impressive," said Steve Cook, president of the community association for Croissant Park. "I saw how quickly the officials responded to residents' claims of lack of communication. Apparently, they figured out where in the chain the problem was and are addressing it."

Wiltshire said that since "a dialogue has been established, we're all better equipped to address community concerns. We plan to meet up with this group again in January to continue the dialogue."